AM2R is clearly a product of love for the series. It understands a lot of what makes great Metroids tick, and does such a good job that it stands among its official series entries with ease.

If SM stands out for its atmosphere, Fusion for its narrative, and Dread for its boss fights, AM2R stands out for its surprises. Some of those are meant to hit for dedicated series fans; obscure callbacks and specific allusions really tickle the mind and work to create new connections (that it can then surprisingly subvert). Many of them are just jaw-dropping "oh shit!" moments that pull the rug out from under you to put you in mix of delight and panic. I'd first played this game around its release, and I still found myself remembering many of this game's coolest inclusions simply because of how memorable they are.

It's not without fault - mainly, some of the fights against the later Metroid forms can be an absolute slog. Narrative elements are also pretty sparse, and the atmosphere is serviceable without being especially engrossing or memorable. But those qualms are holding it up to the standards of mainline series entries - something that AM2R thoroughly earns.